Golden Eagles shine at Sierra Nevada Classic

The Golden Eagles had three wrestlers advance to the second day of the Sierra Nevada Classic, which started Wednesday in Reno, including 152-pound senior Austin Branum, who finished second in his weight class.Branum reached the finals for the second consecutive time but fell to Drew Smith of Damonte Ranch (Reno). Branum lost in the finals last year to Chase Boontjer of Foothill (Redding) but got redemption the following week at the Nor-Cal Championships. Branum has a chance to do that again this year with both Del Oro and Damonte going to the tournament, which starts Jan. 6 in Anderson.Freshman Zach Ruyball (113) finished in the top 12 and needed one more win to make the top eight and earn a medal. Sophomore Dylan Kainrath (118) medaled with a sixth-placed finish and a 6-3 record.Golden Eagles fall at Whitney tourneyThe Del Oro boys basketball team lost 44-38 to Hoover (Fresno) in the opener of the Whitney Christmas Classic as it struggled to hit shots.The Golden Eagles (7-4) went 11-for-52 from the field but played solid defense to hold Hoover under its 54.7 points per game average.Senior guard Jordan Broyles led Del Oro with 11 points and senior forward Alan Kidwell added nine.